Less than $5 Middle School Close Reading Resources (by date, latest first)

The Secret of Star Hill is an exciting graded reader for young learners aged 9–12. It is perfect for A2-level English students. The story follows Lena and Tom, two curious children who love adventure. One night, they ride their bikes up Star Hill and meet a friendly alien named Zuri. He needs help to fix his spaceship and return home. Together, the children and Zuri go on a journey through a dark forest and a scary cave.

This story teaches values like friendship, teamwork, and courage. It also helps children talk about feelings such as fear, surprise, and happiness. The book uses simple words and short sentences. It supports reading skills and builds confidence in English.

Beautiful cartoon-style illustrations bring the story to life. At the end, learners will enjoy fun activities to check understanding and use new words. The Secret of Star Hill is not just a story—it’s a great way to inspire young learners and show that helping others makes a big difference.

A great choice for class or home reading!

What’s Included?

• 20 Bookmarks, each featuring a critical reading skill or strategy for grades 3 - 8:

  • Main Idea & Supporting Details
  • Summarizing
  • Making Inferences
  • Context Clues
  • Identifying Theme
  • and many more!

Why You'll Love This Resource

• Student-Friendly Format: Each bookmark simplifies complex skills into bite-sized, actionable steps.
• Versatile Use: Perfect for guided reading groups, independent practice, or homework aids.
• Aligned with Curriculum Standards: Helps reinforce essential reading skills aligned with Common Core and other standards.
• Durable and Reusable: Print, laminate, and reuse for years!

Looking for a winter-themed, engaging and informative reading comprehension activity full of useful tips on how to stay healthy during flu season? This scavenger hunt is designed to help students practice skim reading, looking for context clues, and learn some useful vocabulary.

It’s perfect for EFL / ESL students at the B1/B2 level and can also be used for native English classes at grade levels 5 - 7. With low prep, just print and hang, it contains 10 tips on how to stay healthy during flu season.

The scavenger hunt is designed so that students have to revisit and reread the reading passages multiple times when looking for code words. The answer to each question is located on a different reading passage card. Once students have answered all the questions, they unscramble the letters to reveal the final answer - the name of the murderer.

WHAT’S INCLUDED:

♥ 10 reading passages

♥ answer sheets

♥ mission page

♥ directions

♥ teacher answer key

♥ conclusion

Options for use:

☻Independent Work

☻Pair Work

☻Sub plan

☻Stations

If you loved this product, please be sure to come back to my store and leave feedback.

Help you students explore the different features found in fiction and non-fiction texts with these 'Text Feature Templates.'

These templates are a great way to assess your students understanding of the different features, while also finding text evidence/ examples to support their understanding.

Download this free resource TODAY!

If you like this resource, please leave me some feedback. Additionally if you would like to stay updated on future resources, please follow me @visual_vibe_classroom on Instagram.

Reading strategies enable our students to comprehend a text in a variety of ways and develop a deeper understanding of how texts are constructed. They use these strategies to express what they have just read, make connections, draw conclusions and further engage with a text.

These posters can be used to display the learning focus for a lesson, unit or student goal. Created to match my Geometric Design theme, they are also an interesting way to display reading strategies in your classroom.

What's Included:

• British and American Spelling
• Two different Reading Strategy Designs
• 10 Different Reading Strategies.

Reading Strategies Include:

• Visualising/Visualizing
• Questioning
• Adjusting
• Summarising/Summarizing
• Inferring
• Predicting
• Synthesising/Synthesizing
• Connecting
• Analysing/Analyzing
• Critiquing

This Reading Comprehension - Summarizing Pack can be used with any text, both fiction and nonfiction. With differentiated graphic organisers, to build your students 'summarizing' skills and depth of understanding.

What's Included:

• 6 Different Summarizing graphic organisers (American and British Spelling)
• Somebody, Wanted, But, So, Then Poster
• Summarizing Bookmark

If you like this resource, please leave me some feedback. Additionally, if you would like to stay updated on future resources, please follow me @visual_vibe_classroom on Instagram.

This Reading Comprehension - Synthesizing Pack can be used with any text, both fiction and nonfiction. With differentiated graphic organisers, to build your students 'synthesizing' skills and depth of understanding of the texts they read.

What's Included:

• 9 Different Synthesizing/Synthesising graphic organisers (American and British Spelling)
• Fiction and Nonfiction sentence frames - to guide your students thinking

If you like this resource, please leave me some feedback. Additionally, if you would like to stay updated on future resources, please follow me @visual_vibe_classroom on Instagram.

These main idea short passages with main idea questions worksheets help students practice identifying the main idea. It is designed for students in 4th to 6th grade and can be used in a variety of settings including small group instruction, independent work, and homework assignments.

Benefits:

• Engaging content about interesting animals

• No prep needed for teachers

• Versatile resource for various types of instruction

Instructions/Tips for Implementation:

Teachers can read the passages aloud to students and then review the answers together. Alternatively, students can work on the worksheets independently. This resource can also be used for whole group instruction, small group work, as a reward activity, or as homework assignments.

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Thank you for checking out my products!

-Laila

Looking for a Friday the thirteenth-themed, engaging and informative reading comprehension activity about superstitions and their origin? This scavenger hunt is designed to help students practice skim reading, looking for context clues, and learn some useful vocabulary.

It’s perfect for EFL / ESL students at the B1/B2 level and can also be used for native English classes at grade levels 5 - 7. With low prep, just print and hang, it contains 10 reading passages about superstitions and Friday the 13th.

The scavenger hunt is designed so that students have to revisit and reread the reading passages multiple times when looking for code words. The answer to each question is located on a different reading passage card. Once students have answered all the questions, they unscramble the letters to reveal the final answer - the name of the murderer.

WHAT’S INCLUDED:

♥ 10 reading passages

♥ answer sheets

♥ mission page

♥ directions

♥ teacher answer key

♥ conclusion

Options for use:

☻Independent Work

☻Pair Work

☻Sub plan

☻Stations

If you loved this product, please be sure to come back to my store and leave feedback. 

Product Features:

• 20 Unique Bingo Cards: Each card features a variety of words derived from key Latin roots like sens (feeling), habitare (to live), port (to carry), and trans (across/beyond). No two cards are the same, making every game exciting!
• Root-Based Vocabulary: Includes over 20 words such as sensitive, habitat, portable, and transport, each tied to its Latin origin to deepen understanding.

Are you looking for an interesting way to integrate your students' love for anime and your love for literary elements? This front and back worksheet can be assigned virtually or printed for independent work. Students will watch an episode of their favorite anime and analyze for setting, conflict, theme, mood, and symbolism. This resource can be used for extension work, passion projects, or a flex day in ELA.

Are you trying to make theme sticky for your students? This resource includes practice worksheets for three short films under 5 minutes long: Piper, The Present, Pip available on Youtube for free. Students will love the beautiful graphics of the films, and the heart warming lessons to learn from each. I love using these films as mini lessons of about 10 minutes each or you can combine all three into a 30 minute practice session. This can be used virtually or in person, as extension activities or as direct instruction!

Piper: https://youtu.be/WIPV1iwzrzg

The Present: https://youtu.be/WjqiU5FgsYc

Pip: https://youtu.be/07d2dXHYb94

Free Bonus: Using Pixar to teach Somebody wanted, but, so then (Summary!) with answer keys.

Students love Kwame Alexander's verse novel The Crossover, and I love the rigor of these power worksheets! His novel is organized into sections just like a basketball game including:

• Warm-up
• Download the First quarter here
• Second quarter
• Third quarter
• Fourth quarter
• Overtime

This resource covers all of the poems in the Warm Up section; with each poem accompanying at least one page of guided practice with middle school ELA standards including:

• Vocabulary and dictionary practice
• Inferencing
• Identifying figurative language 
• Making text-to-self connections

Did you know The Crossover is coming to Disney+? The novel is set to release a miniseries in 2023! If your class loves this text, check out my other resources:

• The Crossover Warm Up Standard Aligned handout for each poem! PDF & PPT (TeachShare.com)
• The Crossover First Quarter Standard Aligned handout for each poem! PDF & PPT (TeachShare.com)
• The Crossover Basketball Rules Motivational and Plot Posters PNG/PDF (TeachShare.com)

Exceptional learners such as English language learners will benefit tremendously from previewing the text prior to starting a nonfiction text. By activating prior knowledge, zooming in to titles and subheadings, and analyzing pictures they will spend quality time building context before reading.

This product contains three pages:

• Previewing the text anchor chart reference sheet so students can refer back when needed
• Previewing the text graphic organizer
• Previewing the text sentence starters

Are you ready to add a 'sweet touch' to learning text structures this Valentine's Day? Dive into our Valentine's Day Text Structure Coloring Sorts, a delightful and engaging free resource designed to help your students master the art of identifying different text structures. Perfect for grades 3-8, this activity blends the fun of Valentine's Day with essential learning objectives.

With our resource, students will explore five key text structures: Cause and Effect, Problem and Solution, Question and Answer, Chronological Order, and Description. Each text structure is cleverly themed around Valentine's Day, making learning both enjoyable and relevant.

All you need is the PDF copy and six colored pencils or crayons to get started. This activity serves as an excellent warm-up, a creative homework assignment, or a lively addition to any learning center. It's not just about coloring; it's about understanding and applying knowledge in a way that sticks.

Looking for more ways to engage your students in text structure mastery? Check out our comprehensive Informational Text Structure Mastery Bundle. This bundle complements the coloring activity and offers an in-depth exploration of text structures, perfect for middle school learners.

Don't miss out on this 'heartfelt' opportunity to blend creativity with critical thinking in your classroom. Download our Valentine's Day Text Structure Coloring Sorts today and watch as your students color their way to text structure mastery!

Engage your middle school ELA students with this dynamic and versatile Valentine's Day themed lesson on text features! Perfect for grades 6-8, this comprehensive resource is designed to enhance students' understanding of text features in an engaging and contextually relevant way.
What's Inside?

• 14 Teacher Slides: Introduce various text features with clear, visually appealing slides.
• Guided Note Tracker: Ensure students stay on track and capture key information throughout the lesson.
• Informational Article: “The Science of Crushes and Heartbreak” - an engaging piece that students can analyze for text features.
• 10 Multiple Choice Questions: Assess students' understanding with a variety of questions and a complete answer key.
• Differentiated Student Work: Cater to diverse learners with activities tailored to different skill levels.

Suggested Uses

• Valentine’s Day Lesson: A perfect thematic lesson for February that ties into the season of love and friendship.
• Informational Text Unit: Use as part of a broader unit on informational texts and nonfiction.
• Text Feature Mini Lesson: A focused session on identifying and understanding text features.
• Choice Board: Integrate into a choice board for differentiated instruction.
• Emergency Sub Plans: Ready-to-use plans that ensure productive and engaging work when you need it most.

Product Features

• Standard Aligned Skills: Meets ELA standards for middle school, ensuring your students are learning essential skills.
• 24 Pages: Comprehensive and ready-to-use resources that save you planning time.
• Interactive Slides and Activities: Keep students engaged with visually appealing slides and hands-on activities.
• Practical and Versatile: Easily adaptable for various instructional settings and student needs.

Enhance your Valentine’s Day lesson plans with this unique and comprehensive text features lesson. Your students will love the engaging content, and you’ll appreciate the ease of use and alignment with educational standards. Get ready for an interactive and educational celebration of Valentine’s Day!

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Dive deep into the prehistoric oceans with this "Megalodon Spooky Science & ELA Packet" for grades 4-6! Perfect for shark-loving students and those who want to sink their teeth into both STEM and ELA skills, this resource will make a "jawsome" addition to your classroom! Whether you’re circling around spooky season or just want a fun, engaging study on the world’s most famous ancient predator, this packet will leave your students hooked all year long!

This interdisciplinary resource is packed with shark-tastic activities that are CCSS-aligned and can be used to boost reading comprehension, critical thinking, and science knowledge. Your students will explore the monstrous Megalodon, an apex predator of the ancient seas, while sharpening their skills in key areas like cause and effect, main idea, and evidence-based answers.

What’s Inside This Fin-tastic Packet:

• Megalodon Informational Text – Students will dive into the facts behind the famous shark and learn why it went extinct.
• Frayer Models Vocabulary – Key words like "carnivore," "fossil," "apex predator," and "extinct" will help students swim through new terms with ease.
• 5 CCSS-Aligned Comprehension Questions – Get your students to bite into text evidence and explain concepts like cause and effect, Megalodon’s hunting style, and more.
• Cause and Effect Chart – Students will analyze how the Ice Age impacted Megalodon, showing off their science and ELA smarts.
• Draw and Label Megalodon – Time to let those creative fins flap! Students will draw the giant shark and label its teeth, jaws, and powerful fins.
• Main Idea & Supporting Details Worksheet – Keep students afloat with this activity that helps them find the main idea and supporting facts from the passage.

Why You’ll Love This Resource:

• Perfect for Spooky Season – The story of a gigantic, terrifying shark is sure to give your classroom that Halloween creep factor!
• Great for Year-Round Study – Sharks never go out of style! This packet fits right into your study of prehistoric animals, ecosystems, or ocean life.
• Interdisciplinary Fun – From reading comprehension to science-based learning, your students will be swimming in knowledge by the time they finish.
• Easy to Implement – Simply print, distribute, and let your students dive in! Perfect for whole class study, small groups, or independent work.

Don’t miss out on this "jaws-dropping" resource! It’s sure to make a splash in your classroom and keep your students hungry for more learning!

Grab your copy of the Megalodon Spooky Science & ELA Packet today and get ready to watch your students swim through CCSS-aligned activities with enthusiasm!

Searching for a lesson that’s legendary? Your students will be captivated by the eerie tale of the Goatman, one of Maryland’s most spine-chilling urban legends! Perfect for grades 6-8, this highly engaging resource immerses your students in the shadowy woods of Maryland as they uncover the myth of the Goatman. Whether they believe in the creature or not, they’ll dive deep into critical analysis while meeting CCSS standards.

This Goatman Urban Legends Resource Includes: Elements of Urban Legends – A detailed mini-lesson exploring the key features of urban legends: mysterious creatures, storytelling traditions, fear of the unknown, and cultural connections.
Goatman Informational Text – A gripping article about the legend of the Goatman, a half-man, half-goat creature that has haunted the people of Maryland for decades.
Character Profile Worksheet – Students will use evidence from the text to create their own legendary Goatman profile, citing key details and analyzing the legend.
Goatman Comprehension Quiz – A 10-question quiz to assess students' understanding and ability to infer, analyze, and synthesize information.
✍️ Spooky Story Starter – A chilling writing prompt to inspire students to craft their own Goatman tales, combining creative writing with the suspense of urban legends.

Why You'll Love It:

• High Engagement: Who can resist the thrill of a mysterious creature lurking in the woods? This resource hooks students with high-interest content that keeps them engaged.
• Standards Aligned: Aligned with CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.6.1, RI.6.2, RI.6.5, and W.6.2. Students will develop skills in analyzing textual evidence and understanding author’s purpose.
• Perfect for Critical Thinking: Students will evaluate the legend, compare it to other myths, and infer why these stories have persisted over time.
• Versatile Usage: Ideal for whole group instruction, independent work, or spooky-themed projects that spark creativity and discussion!

Suggested Uses:

• Reading & Comprehension: Use the article to teach informational text standards, boost inferencing skills, and explore the central ideas of folklore.
• Creative Writing: Let students unleash their imagination by crafting their own Goatman stories using a spooky story starter.
• Classroom Debate: Engage students in a debate about whether the Goatman is fact or fiction, and have them support their claims with textual evidence.
• Socratic Seminars: Facilitate discussions around urban legends, exploring why these stories endure and how they reflect local culture.

Checklist of Benefits: ✅ Engaging Goatman legend with critical thinking tasks
✅ Perfect for spooky-themed lessons and creative writing
✅ Standards-aligned (CCSS)
✅ Supports critical thinking and analysis
✅ Includes a writing prompt for creativity
✅ Flexible for a range of classroom activities
✅ Designed for grades 6-8

Don’t let your students get lost in the woods—grab this legendary resource today and bring the mystery of the Goatman into your classroom!

Ready to take your students on a magical adventure into the world of fantasy literature? This Elements of Fantasy lesson plan is a spellbinding resource that introduces students to the key components of the fantasy genre. Whether you’re exploring magical systems, embarking on heroic quests, or battling dark forces in the ultimate good vs. evil showdown, this lesson plan has everything you need to cast an enchantment over your classroom.

What’s Included:

✔️ Engaging Slides covering the 6 key elements of fantasy:

• World-Building
• Magical Systems
• Hero’s Journey
• Mythical Creatures
• Quests
• Good vs. Evil

✔️ Fill-in-the-blank Guided Notes for students to actively engage with the lesson content.

✔️ Practice Activities using Harry Potter movie trailers and an excerpt from The Lightning Thief to reinforce concepts.

✔️ Exit Ticket Assessment to ensure student understanding.

Suggested Uses:

• Introduction to Fantasy: Perfect for introducing the genre to 6th-8th graders with relatable, age-appropriate examples.
• Unit Review: Use this resource to review fantasy elements at the end of a genre study.
• Engaging Activities: Incorporate multimedia elements, like Harry Potter trailers and Percy Jackson excerpts, to keep students engaged.

Key Benefits:

• Interactive & Student-Centered: Engages students through guided notes, discussions, and multimedia examples.
• Aligned with Standards: Supports literary analysis and genre exploration aligned with middle-grade ELA standards.
• Flexible for Multiple Uses: Use as a standalone lesson or integrate into a larger fantasy literature unit.
• Easy to Prep: Slides, guided notes, and assessments are ready to go, saving you valuable time!

Get ready to ignite the magic of learning with this detailed and easy-to-use Elements of Fantasy lesson! Whether you’re looking for a fun way to introduce fantasy or need an engaging resource for genre review, this lesson will help your students unlock the door to fantastical worlds.

Looking for a lesson that’s spooky AND standards-aligned? Your students will be haunted by curiosity as they dive into the eerie tale of the Bell Witch! Perfect for grades 6-8, this two-day lesson plan takes students on a thrilling exploration of one of America’s oldest ghost stories while building essential reading and writing skills. Whether they believe in the supernatural or not, they’ll be engaged and eager to investigate the legend while meeting CCSS standards.

This Bell Witch Urban Legends Resource Includes: Elements of Urban Legends – A comprehensive mini-lesson that breaks down the mysterious features of urban legends, focusing on storytelling, culture, and the supernatural.
Bell Witch Informational Text – A captivating article about the legend of the Bell Witch and her terrifying haunt of the Bell family in early 19th-century Tennessee.
Character Profile Worksheet – Students will analyze key details from the article to create a legendary profile of the Bell Witch.
Bell Witch Comprehension Quiz – A 10-question quiz to assess students’ ability to infer, analyze, and comprehend textual evidence using STAAR-like questions.
✍️ Spooky Story Starter – A chilling writing prompt that will have your students crafting their own thrilling endings to the Bell Witch saga.

Why You’ll Love It:

• Engaging & Spooky: Ghost stories never go out of style! This lesson will hook students with the thrilling mystery of the Bell Witch, perfect for a spooky classroom theme.
• Standards Aligned: Fully aligned with CCSS standards (RI.6.1, RI.6.2, RI.6.5, W.6.2) to help students improve critical thinking, reading comprehension, and writing skills.
• Critical Thinking & Creativity: Students will analyze the text, draw inferences, and use evidence, while also engaging in creative writing with a suspenseful story starter.
• Two-Day Lesson Plan: A structured, easy-to-follow two-day lesson plan that includes reading, group activities, comprehension, and creative writing.
• Flexible for All Learning Styles: This resource can be used for independent work, small groups, whole-class activities, and even Socratic seminars.

Suggested Uses:

• Reading Comprehension: Use the article and quiz to teach important skills such as identifying the central idea, supporting details, and making inferences.
• Creative Writing: Engage students' imaginations as they write their own spooky stories, inspired by the Bell Witch.
• Classroom Discussions: Use this resource for thoughtful discussions about why ghost stories and urban legends endure in culture.
• Socratic Seminars: Guide students in discussing how storytelling reflects cultural fears and beliefs.

Checklist of Benefits: ✅ Captivating Bell Witch legend for spooky-themed learning
✅ Standards-aligned (CCSS) for grades 6-8
✅ Builds critical thinking and reading comprehension skills
✅ Engages students in both creative and analytical tasks
✅ Includes a 10-question STAAR-like quiz
✅ Perfect for 2-day classroom instruction
✅ Flexible for a variety of classroom activities

Don’t let this resource vanish into thin air—grab your Bell Witch urban legend lesson plan today and make learning hauntingly fun for your students!